How to Get Involved With or Support Churchville Nature Center

Churchville Nature Center (CNC) offers several concrete ways to get involved: become a member, donate, register for programs online, volunteer (including community service), rent facilities or gardens, shop at the gift shop, apply for posted jobs, or connect with the Friends of Churchville Nature Center. The right option depends on whether you want to give money, give time, book a space, or simply visit. CNC is an environmental education facility of the Bucks County Department of Parks & Recreation, located on a 65-acre nature preserve next to the Churchville Reservoir in Northampton Township, and was the first nature center in Bucks County when founded in 1964.

Join, Donate, or Register Online

The site groups these three actions together under "Support Us," with separate pages for membership, donation options, and online registration. Use them as follows:

• Join as a member — go to "Becoming a Member" if you want ongoing affiliation rather than a one-time gift.
• Donate — "Donation Options" lists the ways to contribute; choose this if you want to support the center without a membership commitment.
• Register online — use this for programs and events that require sign-up. Registration is also the path for specific sessions; for example, the site notes that Fall Knee High Naturalist sessions are full and registration is closed, so check current status before planning around a specific program.

Expected result: a membership, a donation, or a confirmed spot in a program. Common snag: popular sessions fill and close — confirm registration is open before assuming availability.

Volunteer and Community Service

Under "Get Involved," the site lists "Ways to Volunteer," "Our Volunteers," and "Community Service." Choose volunteering if you want to contribute time rather than money:

• General volunteering — start with "Ways to Volunteer" to see the roles the center recruits for.
• Community service — a separate path if you need to log service hours; check it first, since requirements and eligibility can differ from general volunteering.
• Current volunteers — "Our Volunteers" describes the people already involved, useful for understanding what the work looks like.

Verification: the site does not publish a volunteer application form or hour requirements in the available material, so confirm details directly with the center before counting on a specific commitment.

Rent a Facility or Garden

CNC lists "Facility & Garden Rentals" as a distinct offering. This is the option for private groups — the site separately promotes birthday parties and scheduled programs for schools, scouts, and private groups, which are booked through their own pages rather than as rentals. If your goal is a private event in a specific space, start with the rentals page; if your goal is a staff-led program, use the program pages instead.

Shop, Work, or Connect

• Gift shop — open Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 AM to 5 PM, inside the Nature Center. Current example: 2026 Butterfly House and Botanical Gardens T-shirts are sold there in a variety of sizes, colors, and prices while supplies last, with proceeds benefiting the Butterfly House and Botanical Gardens.
• Jobs — "Current Job Openings" is the only place to check for paid positions; the site does not list openings elsewhere in the available material.
• Friends of Churchville Nature Center — a separate affiliated group listed in the main navigation; use it if you want to support the center through that organization specifically.

Choosing Your Path

Before You Go

Trails are open dawn to dusk, while the Visitor Center is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 AM to 5 PM — plan volunteer or rental conversations around those hours. The site does not publish membership prices, donation amounts, rental rates, or a volunteer application process in the available material, so treat any specific cost or commitment as something to confirm with the center rather than assume.